Cheating Ways
by TheAngelToMyHunter
Summary: When an argument breaks out between Dean and the reader, a series of events leads to her finding herself in the hospital with some of her most recent memories gone.


You and Sam were sprawled out on one of two beds in the dingy motel room. Sam sat up against the headboard, his nose buried deep in a book, his left knee up while you rested your head in his lap, thumbing through the pages of a dusty volume. Research was not something you enjoyed, but it was nice when you could do it in a leisurely manner. Dean was in the bathroom showering. The hunt today had resulted in a few new developments and had required a bit of research. Sam had tried searching around on his laptop, but the internet had proved useless tonight. Instead, you offered to help him search through the few books that were stashed in the trunk of the Impala. The bathroom door opened swiftly and Dean came bursting out, grabbing his leather jacket from the other bed and pulling it on over his shoulders. You and Sam looked up, him nudging you. "I'm showering," he said, getting up from the bed, gathering his things, and heading into the bathroom. You walked over to Dean with a smile. Having been dating the older Winchester for about two years now, you would say the two of you had a very trusting relationship. For you, the only two things in hunting that were permanent were the constant stream of monsters and Dean. He was your rock, your anchor. You loved him dearly and he loved you just as much. You leaned up to give him a kiss.

"Hey," you said. He smiled at you.

"Hey."

"You going somewhere?" you asked curiously, your arms going under his jacket and around his torso. He was so warm.

"Yeah," he replied, wrapping his arms around you too, and giving your head a quick kiss.

"Where you going?"

"Out." You sighed softly.

"Okay, but where?" you asked, pulling back from him and taking his hands in yours.

"I told you. I'm going out."

"Yeah, Dean, that tells me what. I'm asking where," you said, getting slightly frustrated.

"Doesn't matter. I'll be back," he said, giving your forehead another quick kiss.

"Just tell me where you're going. I don't care. I'm just curious." He let go of your hands and pushed passed you.

"It doesn't matter. I'll see you in a bit," he replied, turning back to you and flashing you a smile that looked a little forced to you.

"Dean, what is this?"

"Nothing. I'm just going out, okay? Since when do you care where I go?"

"In case you forgot, I'm your girlfriend; I don't need to know where you are at all times, but on a hunt, it's a little bit more important that I do. What, are you going to a bar? Porn shop? Where are you going that you can't tell me?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest, your face starting to feel hot.

"Y/N, it's not a big deal. I'm just popping out for a bit and then I'll be right back," he said, his hand on the knob.

"Are you cheating on me?" you blurted out, almost immediately regretting it. He turned fully towards you.

"What?" he asked, shocked. You bit your tongue and pursed your lips. In truth, it was the only logical explanation your brain could think of to explain his behavior. But he wouldn't...would he?

"Are you cheating on me?" you asked again, more bold this time. He stared at you in shock.

"Why would you ask me that?"

"Answer the question, Dean. Are you cheating on me?" Your voice was edging on the angry side as you uncrossed your arms and held them at your sides, you fists balled. He looked at you in silence, his face not giving away anything. It was his poker face. You were sure of it. Before you could stop yourself, your fist collided with the lamp that sat on the table beside you. It fell to the floor with a smash and your eyes darted to Dean in rage. "You're cheating on me?! I don't even believe this!" you shouted, your hands fisting themselves in your hair. You screamed angrily at the ceiling.

"I never said that, Y/N! Don't put words in my mouth!" Dean shouted back, taking a step toward you.

"No, you're right! You said nothing at all, which is worse!" you shouted at him as you stormed to your duffle bag and grabbed your jacket. You shoved your arms into the sleeves angrily and headed for the door. Dean moved out of your way swiftly. You flung the door open, the knob cracking on the wall behind it and almost hitting Dean in the process.

"Where are you going?!" he shouted out the door.

"_Out!_" you screamed back, stalking out into the motel's parking lot. It was dark and quiet.

"Y/N!" Dean shouted from behind you. You turned around and stared at him angrily, your face looking like you were on the verge of tears.

"What do you want?!" You heard it before it happened. Dean's face suddenly took on a look of fear and surprise as the tires came barreling into the parking lot, the rubber screeching on the asphalt. Everything seemed to slow down as you turned and were blinded by bright headlights. You didn't have enough time to get out of the way before the front end of the car smashed into your legs and knocking you to the ground. The last thing you saw was Dean running toward you, his face so distressed. It pained you to see him like that. Your head smacked against the hard ground with a crack and everything went black. You could have sworn you murmured Dean's name as your lost consciousness, but you weren't sure. You didn't remember a thing after that.

Your eyelids fluttered open groggily and you noticed a tremendous throbbing in your head. The light shining in from the window was near blinding and your groaned, your left arm shooting up to block it out. You gave a little cry as you did so, a sharp pain running the length of your forearm, which you noted was wrapped in gauze. You whimpered softly, shutting your eyes tightly. "Hey, you're alright, you're alright," said a soft voice that rushed to your side. You peeked to your left and saw worried hazel green eyes looking at you.

"Dean?" you said softly, your eyes glistening slightly with tears.

"Yeah, it's me. You're okay, baby," he said. You put your arm down, wincing, and reached for his large hand, taking it into your own. He stroked your hand soothingly with his thumb.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" you asked. He looked at you questioningly.

"You don't remember what happened?" he replied. You shook your head.

"The last thing I remember was us driving to Colorado to check out some suspicious activity," you said. Dean looked at you with a slightly pained expression.

"The Doc said you might have some memory loss. At least it's not as bad as they originally thought," he said, continuing to stroke your hand.

"What are you talking about?"

"Last night you got hit by a car outside our motel. You hit your head pretty hard and it knocked some sense out of you. But I'm glad you're awake now. You don't know how relieved that makes me feel," he said, smiling at you tenderly. It was the smile you loved so much. It melted your heart every time. You smiled back and squeezed his hand.

"Have you been here the whole time?" you asked. He nodded, his eyes slightly misty. Yours were too and you tried to scoot closer to him but it hurt too much. Your hips and pelvis ached something terrible. He leaned forward and you brought your foreheads together, your eyes shutting and a gentle smile spreading onto your face. "I love you," you whispered softly. Dean pressed his lips to yours softly, carefully, as if he were afraid to hurt you. You caressed the side of his face gently and you deepened the kiss. He pulled back and you opened your eyes to stare into his which were more green than brown today. Suddenly the door to your room opened and Sam stepped in with coffee in his hands. He smiled happily at you.

"Hey, Y/N! You're awake," he said cheerfully, coming right up to the bed and handing the coffees to Dean before bending down to give you a hug, his face reminiscent of a puppy's. He gingerly placed his arms about you and you winced a bit, but hugged him back, happy to see your best friend.

"Hey Sammy," you replied, withdrawing.

"So, how do you feel?" he asked, pulling a chair up to the edge of the bed and taking his coffee back from Dean.

"I've been better, that's for sure. But, besides a few bumps and bruises and a bit of scrambled brains, I'm alright. I'm glad both of you are here," you said, smiling at the boys.

"That's good to hear. I'm so glad you're okay. Dean and I, we were really worried about you," Sam said, sipping from his coffee.

"So, when do you think I can leave? I wanna get out of here as quickly as possible. You guys know how I feel about hospitals," you said, sitting up a little bit on the firm, slightly uncomfortable hospital bed.

"The doctor was saying that it really depended on how your head was feeling. He'd said there was the possibility of memory loss and brain trauma, but they did a couple scans and tests while you were out and everything checked out good. Do you have any memory loss?"

"She remembers us driving to Colorado. After that, there's nothing," Dean answered. Sam nodded.

"Okay. Well, I can get the doctor if you want. Have him check you out and give us the go ahead to take you with us," Sam said, rising from his seat. You nodded.

"Thanks Sammy," you said.

"Yeah, no problem. Be right back," he said with a smile before leaving you and Dean alone again.

"Do you need anything? I can go get you whatever you need," Dean said, taking your hand back in his.

"The only thing I need is you by my side," you said with a smile, squeezing his hand. He smiled too, but it seemed a little forced. You frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just wanna get you out of here, baby girl," he said, stroking your hand with his thumb as he did before. You nodded and laid your head back against the pillows on your bed. You sighed, not letting go of Dean's hand. You wanted to leave too.

"So, what did I miss?" you asked, looking back at your boyfriend. He looked up at you.

"A bit of questioning the locals and research. That and your accident. Other than that, nothing important," he said. You nodded.

"What are we hunting?"

"Don't worry about that. Sam and I can handle the hunting. I just want you to focus on getting better. Can't have my girl stuck in the hospital, can I?" he said, leaning forward and giving your forehead a gentle kiss. You smiled happily.

"No, I guess you can't," you replied. "I'm so glad you're here, Dean."

"There's no place I'd rather be." A swift knock at the door brought the two of you from your moment. Your eyes shot to the door and a man with a receding grey hairline and a pleasant face walked into the room followed by Sam. The man wore a long white lab coat, a slick pair of spectacles and was sporting a small Van Dyke beard. He smiled kindly at you before shutting the door.

"Good morning," he said, his voice much higher than you'd thought it would be. You smiled a little nervously.

"Good morning."

"And how are we feeling this morning, Y/N?" he asked. You shrugged.

"I've been better," you replied. He chuckled.

"I'd say so. By the way, I'm Dr. Lambert." You nodded. "So, I'm sure you're wondering about the extensiveness of your condition. Now, besides a few bumps and bruises, you're otherwise in good condition. You did fracture your left forearm and took a severe blow to the head. Obviously you're not experiencing any extreme pain, which is good, but concerning your head trauma, there may have been some lack of memory. Sam here tells me your last memory was from two days ago. That's much better than we had originally thought. Um, since that seemed to be the only other issue with you, I'd like to keep you here overnight for observation to make sure everything is okay before we send you home. Concerning your memory loss, it's unlikely that you'll regain the memories you lost. But, since it was not an extensive period of time that was lost, you should be able to function well enough once you leave. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know and if you need anything, there's a little button right there to your left that you can buzz for assistance. Uh, that's all I've got for you. I hope you feel better and that we can get you out of here tomorrow morning." Dr. Lambert smiled broadly.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to let you know if I have any questions," you replied. He nodded and dismissed himself from the room, leaving just you and the boys. You felt strange now. You'd never thought about what it would be like to be missing memories, especially important ones like the ones you didn't have. It was odd, almost sad.

"Well, you heard the man. You're stuck here till tomorrow, baby girl," Dean said with a smirk, patting you on the hand. You gave him a look and he chuckled.

"So, are you guys gonna go hunt that thing?" you asked. Sam nodded.

"We might as well. That's why we're here after all. But we can stay for a bit longer to keep you company," he said.

"No, you both better go before I make you stay. We can't have that thing wreaking havoc in this town and just because I'm laid up doesn't mean we stop hunting. You boys go ahead and take care of business. I'll get some rest. I mean, I know I just woke up, but my head is pounding," you said.

"Do you need a nurse or something?" Dean asked attentively. You shook your head.

"I'll be fine. I'm just whining, you know how I am. Now go on." Dean got up from his seat beside you and bent down to give you a kiss. His lips pressed tenderly to yours and you found yourself blushing; he hadn't kissed you that sweetly in a long time.

"I'll be back tonight, okay? And I won't leave this bedside until you're leaving with me," he said, pulling from you.

"Go get 'em, Tiger," you replied, smiling at him. He smiled back and he and Sam left the room. The door shut behind them and you relaxed into the bed. You heard voices outside the door after a moment. You perked up your ears and strained to hear.

"Dude, you gotta tell her," said Sam's voice. You furrowed your eyebrows and listened closely.

"I know. I will. Just give me some time," said Dean's voice.

"I already told you, if you don't I will, and she'll be pissed hearing it from me."

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't know I screwed up? Sam, this thing is eating away at me and it hasn't even been a full 24 hours. It's my fault. Sam...I just wanna see her happy before I go and screw everything up again. I don't wanna see her like that again. Do you know how much that hurt me? Sam, I couldn't breathe when she looked at me like that. My chest tightened and I felt sick. I don't wanna see that again. Man, the things we hunt, I can deal with that. But her heart breaking? I can't go through that again," Dean said, his voice growing hoarse, like he was on the verge of tears. You covered your ears with your hands, blocking out the rest of the conversation. You stared at the wall for a few minutes, trying to piece together the information you now had swirling around in your brain. As much as you didn't want to think about it, you couldn't stop and you dreaded seeing Dean again that evening. Hoping sleep would soothe you, you laid back and closed your eyes, sleep soon overtaking your tired body. You slept restlessly throughout the day, not waking until it was nearly 5:30. You ate very little and awaited Dean's arrival with anxiousness.

Your room was dark when there came a knock at the door. You looked up from the book you were reading my the dim light of the lamp next to your bed.

"Come in," you responded. The door opened and a tall figure stepped through the doorway, shutting it behind them.

"Hey," they said and you knew it was Dean. You closed the book and set it in your lap. "I hope I'm not interrupting you." You shook your head.

"No, I was waiting for you. Come, sit by me," you said as he pulled up a chair and took up residence by your side. He leaned forward onto his fists and stared at you, a smile on his face. "How was the hunt?" you asked.

"It was okay. Turns out we were way off base with our research. But we killed the thing no problem," he said. You nodded.

"That's good. Glad you're not hurt. Where's Sam?" Dean shrugged.

"I think he said he was going back to the motel. He's exhausted. Hell, I'm exhausted. We haven't slept much since last night."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. Not in the least," he said, reaching for your hand. You drew it back from him and he looked up at you with hurt in his eyes.

"What's going on, Dean?" you asked. You could see the color drain from his face in what little light there was in the room. He didn't speak for a while, only looking at his lap, his hands clasped together. You waited patiently, prepared to wait all night if you had to. Finally, he looked up and his face was extremely sad.

"So, you know?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Not really. I only heard a bit this morning when you two left, but I'd rather hear the whole thing from you," you said, your voice level. He took a deep breath beside you before meeting your eyes.

"Last night, you getting into that accident was my fault. I didn't mean for it to happen and I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm sorry. God, I am so sorry," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

"What did you do?" you prompted him. There was silence before he spoke again.

"I cheated on you, Y/N. And I'm sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I never wanted to hurt you, but I was selfish and stupid and misinformed. I know no amount of apologizing will fix what I did, but you deserve to know," he said, his voice growing so quiet and fragile. He looked down again into his lap and shut his eyes. He pressed his palms into his eyelids and you felt your heart break for him. Yes, him cheating on you hurt. How could it not? You had loved and trusted this man for two whole years and for him to go and do a thing like that hurt you terribly. But what hurt more was seeing what it was doing to him.

"Why?" you whispered, your voice breaking slightly. He didn't look at you. He couldn't bring himself to meet your gaze.

"I thought you were sleeping with Sam. It hurt me to think you'd do such a thing, so I took out my feelings elsewhere and slept around. I regret every second of it. Every time I came back, I hated myself even more. After you wound up here because of me, I told Sam and found out it was all a mistake, that I'd been wrong. That made me feel worse. I can't tell you how much I regret it. I've done a lot of terrible things in my life, but this is by far the worst," he said. You could almost hear the tears in his voice as he spoke. You two sat there in silence for some time, both of you unsure of what to say next. Tears prickled at your eyes and you felt hot tears spill onto your cheeks.

"Dean..." you said in a broken voice. He looked up, his own hazel green eyes rimmed with red, wet trails of tears running down his face. You looked at each other for some time before you got up and wrapped his arms around you tightly. You didn't care if it hurt. Your arms snaked around his torso and held him tightly as he sat on your bed. You wept quietly into his shoulder, staining his jacket with your salty tears. He cried too, though with far less sobs than you. He held you for what seemed like a lifetime, until you stopped crying, then slowly let you go and gazed down at you with a sad glint in his eyes. "I forgive you." Your voice was paper thin as you spoke and he leaned down to kiss your hair, taking your face in his large, callused hands.

"I'm so, so sorry," he muttered against your head, kissing you again.

"I know," you replied, placing your hands over his and turning your face upwards to meet his lips. He kissed you desperately, but you didn't mind. You felt the same. After many kisses and tears, you fell asleep in his arms on your hospital bed, his heartbeat lulling you to sleep and his arms rocking you softly. As you began to nod off, sleep overtaking you, you heard his voice whisper in the darkness of the room.

"I love you." You smiled and snuggled closer to Dean, whose arms were wrapped about you tightly. He kissed your hair again and pulled you close, inhaling your scent. Contented, you drifted off into peaceful slumber, enveloped in Dean's loving embrace. Things were going to be alright.


End file.
